[Recovery]

I’ve been a decent sleeper my whole entire life until recently with 3 days no sleeping which triggered to insomnia for 4 months now (sleep onset). The first few weeks were brutal and i didn’t get much sleep and it led to huge anxiety and depression. The thoughts about sleeping had consumed me the last few months. I’ve tried everything sleep hygiene, over the counter meds, tea, podcasts, reading. Everything just led to further frustration. I was prescribe zopiclone by my GP. I was hesitant to take sleep meds but i did take it because i was not sleeping much at all. The zopiclone was not good at all. It did knock me out for a few hours by it was not restorative sleep and bad side effect waking up. So i stopped taking that. After that my GP prescribed Trazadone, I have been taking that for like 2 months now. Most night i’m able to fall asleep and it does feel like i am sleeping which is good. So i am currently talking to a psychologist and I came across SRT. So I’ve been trying for 2 and a half week now with trazadone. It is a difficult process. i have been getting inconsistent results. I guess where i’m at is Anyone else here taking Trazadone with their insomnia? Anyone trying SRT while taking Trazadone? If so, how did you eventually come off it during SRT? Another issue i’m currently experiencing is not being able to get to my wake up time with SRT. I would get up about 1 to 1.5 hr before my wake up time and will not be able to fall asleep again. I was told that I need to stay in bed even if i can’t fall back asleep until my wake up time at 8am. But for the last few weeks when i’m awake and try to fall back asleep, i end up tossing and turning which creates a surge of weird bodily sensation that shoots up my body. Like an adrenaline rush of fear, an uneasy feeling throughout my body. I’ve signed up for Martins free 2week emails, I’ve read the sleep book by Dr. Guy meadows. I know a huge part of this is acceptance. I try to tell myself to accept and welcome that feeling in the morning but it does not seem to work and is frustrating. I know our experiences might be different. I’m really hoping that someone has similar experience with me and can share how you successfully beat insomnia. I need all the confidence i can get. I know i don’t want to be on pill forever. Thanks.

[KAH]

Hello- I too developed acute insomnia very quickly after a few bad nights whilst in covid recovery. I can relate to your story. I was on zoplicon for much longer than I intended – and did try the sleep window whilst on it. I know the sleep window as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for insomnia) . I then stopped the sleep window as it was making my covid recovery worse but a month later having weaned myself of zoplicon I am trying it again. I was advised that you can do CBTi whilst on pills. I just wish I’d stick with it the first time. I think consistency is the most important thing. I don’t know where you are getting your advice from but I have been advised to not stay in bed- and your wake time seems very late. I’d enrol on a good course – there are a lot out there and stuck with it. I’m not currently in the place where I can say I’m a success story yet but I believe I will be one day if I persevere with the therapy and all the ups and downs that come with it.

[Martin Reed]

Welcome to the forum, @Recovery.

I am so glad to hear that you’ve finally been told about cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) techniques such as sleep restriction. This technique, when implemented correctly and consistently, helps build sleep drive, strengthens the body clock, and reduces the amount of time available for unpleasant nighttime wakefulness.

Two-and-a-half weeks is a short period of time to be expecting consistent results, so I would encourage you to keep going with the sleep window. There’s no reason to believe that taking medication while implementing a sleep window will affect your progress. As you start to experience improvements in your sleep and start to feel more confident in your own ability to sleep, you might then discuss a tapering-off plan with your prescribing physician.

I am not sure why you have been told to stay in bed if you wake during the night and find it really unpleasant to be in bed. It’s often considered a good idea to get out of bed whenever being in bed doesn’t feel good so you have a more appealing alternative to tossing and turning and to prevent you from reinforcing a negative association between your bed and unpleasant wakefulness. This might be something worth discussing with your psychologist.

I hope this helps!

—

If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.

The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.

[Recovery]

@martinread
Hey Martin Thanks for the reply. Is almost 4 weeks now, I actually had 3 good days of almost filling my window. Felt really good and confidence started to build, but it didn’t last as i had two nights of not so good sleep. I know there is going to be ups and downs and everyone will be different. Im just looking for more consistency like the success stories that i read 4-5 days of good and 1 day of bad. I just heard Sallys story on your podcast and wanting to be able to experience that sleepiness feeling again. When i go to bed at night now I don’t feel that sleepiness. I do fall asleep with 20 mins or so. So i guess it doesn’t matter right? Also, I tend to not make it to my wake up window even though i am so sleep deprived. When im up before that time i toss and turn in bed, i get this adrenaline rush through my body. Should i leave the bed before the wake up time or should i stay in bed until the wake up time?
I just wish that I can see more results. Is been tough but Im definitely going to continue with this. I’m hoping that i can see me sleep through to my wake up time soon, so i can gradually increase my window. Look forward to hearing if anyone has similar experiences. Martin looking forward to your reply. Thanks

[Martin Reed]

If you’re falling asleep within around 20 minutes of getting into bed, this does suggest that you’re sleepy enough for sleep when you go to bed — it could be that your arousal system is hiding sleepiness cues from you. This will likely improve over time as you continue to consistently implement that sleep window and other CBT-I techniques.

If you’re tossing and turning during your sleep window, this suggests that being in bed at that time doesn’t feel good — so, I would suggest getting out of bed and doing something more relaxing and enjoyable instead. This way, your mind has something to focus on other than sleep, you eliminate the temptation to put effort into sleep, you improve the quality of the night, and you prevent yourself from reinforcing a negative association between your bed and unpleasant wakefulness.

It could be that your desire and wish for more results is an obstacle to you getting more results — because desire is a goal that requires effort, and sleep does not respond well to effort!

Sometimes focussing on the process and making all goals connected to process is more helpful than focussing on the outcome and making all goals connected to outcome. You have no control over outcome, but you have full control over process and implementation!

—

If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.

The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.

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